January 23 BACC Town Hall Meeting Notes

5:30 pm, moderated by Emily

Ground rules

Read Code of Conduct

What we are discussing is such a personal and difficult, we need to be extra careful in how we talk today.

1. Please do not name people, unfortunately we are only three people as community organizers, however, we do have a small list of resources for you, for anyone who needs it, and if you feel more comfortable talking to someone one on one, within your community, I would be happy to talk with you and assist in any way I can.

2. We are here to share some of our stories or experiences, but be aware that this can be triggering for others.

3. No video or audio recording is allowed, as we want people to freely share

Reactions to news of lawsuit

How did you hear about it?

from coworkers

from cafe owner where they worked

Was a lawsuit necessary?

Recent allegations against an Oakland chef – reported harassment in newspaper, but not lawsuit – did not seem to enact much change in culture

Consensus was yes

Sounds like it’s more important for community members to be supportive of each other

Was it shocking?

California sets a precedence for rest of country, in terms of HR. Shocking in the sense that it’s been poorly handled.

Not exactly shocking as a woman

As a barista, people go to the counter to tell you all sorts of things

Coming from the unhealthy kitchen culture, coffee is not as bad, which still does not justify any harassment

spending a lot of time unpacking the events for non-coffee people

What’s happening inside?

unknown, can’t speak for employees

One news article said it would be 2-3 years before it would be turned to 100% employee owned

Employee-invested?

does a name change change a culture

It’s an industry trust issue that’s at risk here

problematic to see customers commenting and praising the name change

working at coffee was refuge from restaurant culture, but not immune to harassment and assault

calls for boycott are against two owners still involved, not its employees

want to hear from the employees

What do you think the community response was like?

choice is good- as a cafe with a wholesale program, you don’t have to support them

impressed with the immediate response of wholesale accounts reacting to the news

while receiving a call from someone looking to switch roasters- was asked “How are you doing? How are they treating you there?”

At a cafe that was a wholesale client, they immediately dropped the roaster, but needed coffee. Was told by a local roaster, “Up to you on whatever decision you go with, here’s some free coffee for the week.”

Hoping this is a catalyst for internal work in coffee businesses

What will you take away from these events?

HR –

A thorough employee handbook is important

a lot of companies aren’t thinking about growth or the future – no support for handbook or HR

“coffee as a family” can also be a bad thing, trying to fit into a culture or gain favors

work vs home- people treating work as home and taking advantage of blurred social lines

How can we use this momentum?

write HR policies in the company

Internal self work: what if I see this happen or hear about it again elsewhere, what am I going to do about it?

ask permission to give advice vs straight up giving advice

For companies- remember to convey your values with actions

What can the BACC do better?

Guide of “what if this is happening to me?” Or offering anonymous support